MIROS: Probe on fatal tanker accidents must be made public

The outcome of the investigation on two fatal accidents involving tanker lorries in Bintulu, Sarawak and Lahad Datu in Sabah yesterday, has to be made public, to let the people know the actual cause of the accidents.

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said members of the public, who are also road users, had the right to know the outcome as it would enable them to give input on how to stop such accidents from recurring.

"It is important the relevant agencies and oil companies involved leave no stone unturned, in finding the causes of the fatal accidents and ways to avoid similar incidents.

"This is in line with Miros' effort to promote a safety culture among heavy vehicle operators, including express buses and lorries. Since petroleum companies are known for the high standard from safety and health aspects, it has surprised us that such incidents could happen," he said in a statement here Wednesday.

In yesterday's mishaps, a man was killed in an explosion after an oil tanker's load spilled when the vehicle hit the road divider and overturned at the traffic light junction in Medan Central in Bintulu at noon.

In another accident in Sabah, four people were killed in a head-on collision between a van and a tanker lorry at Km 3 of Jalan Lahad Datu-Tungku at 5.45 am.

Lee, who is also the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman, also hoped the government would set up a transformation lab for lorries and trucks, similar to the Express Bus Transformation Lab completed on April 7.

He said the lab would help the authorities to find mitigation efforts to help reduce the number of accidents involving lorries and the impact to other road users.

"One of the reasons for accidents involving heavy vehicles is fatigue and we need to be able to better monitor the drivers and ensure they could perform up to the standards required of them. Other causes are the use of illegal retread tyres and their debris on highways," he said.

"I believe that enforcement alone is insufficient as we need to increase awareness and participation from heavy vehicle drivers and other road users so that they could always be on alert and take precautionary measures to prevent accidents," he added.

He further suggested that the government should also conduct frequent health checks on lorry drivers to ensure that they are healthy and not on drugs. - BERNAMA